Trail cams being outlawed, thoughts?

[S.Clancy]

I'm totally fine banning game cameras, and we should look at other equipment as well....

 

[MallardSX2]

All trail cameras should be illegal on all public land in all 50 states IMO.

I also agree with the above post. Things are getting out of hand with advancements in technology. Then people sit back and wonder why agencies are cutting tags back in almost every western state. Long range bullet slingers, Crossbows and Scoped "muzzleloaders" are doing more damage to game herds nationwide than trail-cameras IMO.

 

[rodney482]

Too much tech in hunting. Its obnoxious

 

[MallardSX2]

Ask any Tom Dick and Harry from GA whether or not cell cameras are being used to pursue game. Lord, what a discussion that will be.

Honestly, if the GA DNR allowed you to trap or snare deer down here people would be all for it. Its unreal what guys will argue for. I mentioned banning cellular trail cameras statewide during deer season and almost got lynched for it. lol

" People are not using them to aid in the taking of game " was the #1 response. I laughed so hard I almost spit my coffee out when I read 10 people who said that. What the hell are they using them for then?! lol

Its a different crowd down here in the dirty south.

Buddy of mine in UT used to hunt public ground for elk every year. The one wallow several years ago had a half a dozen cell cameras over it with 6 tree-stands overlooking the water hole. lol Its become a joke. Thankfully they made them illegal there.

It doesn't really matter what state you hunt people are willing to use whatever technological edge they can to get an edge over the next guy, except for woodsmanship it seems. Human nature I suppose.

 

[KoolBreeze]

The stories of people killing deer hours after getting pictures from a cell cam are interesting. Where I hunt, that would be tough to do in the thick hardwoods with rolling hills. You can't see more than 50 or 60 yards in most places and there is no way you're sneaking up on him in the crunching leaves. If you knew exactly where he was headed, you might be able to get in front of him if you were already on site.

Regardless of all that, I still say a camera is no less fair chase than shooting one at 700 yards. And I'll be the first to tell you, if a 700 yard shot presented itself on a deer I was looking for and I was capable of making the shot, I'd send it. So I don't fault those that take advantage of those opportunities.

 

[MallardSX2]

Regardless of all that, I still say a camera is no less fair chase than shooting one at 700 yards. And I'll be the first to tell you, if a 700 yard shot presented itself on a deer I was looking for and I was capable of making the shot, I'd send it. So I don't fault those that take advantage of those opportunities.

Then you could post it to YouTube for self admiration but not before editing out the first three rounds that missed the deer by a mile only to show the one lucky shot that hit the deer in the freaking ass.

 

[KoolBreeze]

Then you could post it to YouTube for self admiration but not before editing out the first three rounds that missed the deer by a mile only to show the one lucky shot that hit the deer in the freaking ass.

You must have missed this part, "and I was capable of making the shot, I'd send it."

If you don't want to use cameras, then don't.

By the way, I don't hunt deer for the thrill of the kill or the chase. I'm meat hunter first and once the freezer is full 99% of the deer I see get a pass.

 

[MallardSX2]

Nah, I wasn't call your skills out friend.

I was just elaborating on the situation in general and how it plays out 99% of the time.

 

[hunt1up]

I'm all for banning cameras on public lands in any state. I use a bunch of them on private land here in the midwest and have for many years. Honestly, when I consider my success as a hunter and with killing mature deer, my success was just as good before I got cameras. Some days I think they're really fun, other days I tell myself I should just sell them all.

 

[CorbLand]

I know putting a season or banning cameras is such a government over reach that hunters in those states literally asked for the rule to be implemented. Kind of like hunters did with seasons, market hunting, self imposed tax and about a hundred other things. Hunters have self regulated for over 100 years, this is nothing new.

 

[roadrunner]

Banning outfitting and guiding makes more sense. After all, you're paying someone to do all the work for you as far as finding the animal and setting up for a shot opportunity...

 

[Rblumenberg]

So first things first, I’m not posting this to turn it into a fight. I’m just curious of peoples opinions on the topic. Utah and Arizona just passed trail cam ban laws. Maybe others already have, im not sure. As a Midwest whitetail hunter that heads west when I can, trail cams have been pretty widely accepted but the hunting dynamics and styles are very different. I was curious what people that live and hunt in these western states think of the trail cam usage.

I completely agree on your side as well. Being from the Midwest they have much more of an advantage for the guy who can make one scouting trip in the summer out west and put up a couple cameras in some promising spots…. But with that being said I have noticed whitetail start to divert their travel path to avoid these cameras which may lead to the argument or animal harassment which gives people trying to outlaw them a leg to stand on…

 

[KoolBreeze]

Banning outfitting and guiding makes more sense. After all, you're paying someone to do all the work for you as far as finding the animal and setting up for a shot opportunity...

Ha! Good luck with that. That’s where the $$$ is at and the $$$ controls the politics.

I got to say, I’m very surprised that roughly 40% voting in this poll support banning cameras, on a hunting forum. I wander if the results would be the same on banning rifles, scopes, crossbows, camo, tree stands, bait or anything else that’s gives the hunter an advantage. Hunter versus deer never has been “fair” to the deer and never will be.

 

[CorbLand]

I got to say, I’m very surprised that roughly 40% voting in this poll support banning cameras, on a hunting forum. I wander if the results would be the same on banning rifles, scopes, crossbows, camo, tree stands, bait or anything else that’s gives the hunter an advantage. Hunter versus deer never has been “fair” to the deer and never will be.

I know. I am still pissed about the ticket I got for using a howitzer on my cow elk hunt.

Fair chase has been and will be continued to be defined by man. Therefore, it will continue to evolve for time and eternity. We all know that rifles, scopes and everything provides a benefit to hunters. What we have to decide is what are we ok with and what are we not. Hunters have self regulated for over a 100 years and changed the definition of fair chase along the way. It doesn't have to binary.

 

[bowhuntrben]

I guess I am not familiar with the situation out west. If multiple cameras are getting hung by a water source, it does seem like it's getting out of hand. On the other hand, at least you know where you don't want to hunt because people have marked where they plan to be

Overall, I'm not opposed to cameras. I use them in the midwest on private land and honestly think they may be more of a detriment to me than an aid. In some cases they have certainly helped me pattern deer, but I'd say more often they cause me to pass up something that I probably shouldn't have (because I'm trying for a bigger one we have a pic of) or make me feel like nothing is coming by a spot (lose confidence) when in reality the deer just aren't going in front of the camera. I only run a few cameras, though, so I could see where it may get abused by people with a lot of them.

FWIW, we haven't had any pictures of almost all of the biggest deer we've ever shot. Of the ones we have had pictures of, the I would only say the pictures helped us on a couple of them..and we probably would've gotten them anyway because we got them in spots we know to be good.

Cellular cameras, on the other hand, I feel provide too much of an opportunity for mis-use, and I'd be in favor of banning them.

Whatever the decision is, I think it should apply both to public and private land.

 

[roadrunner]

Ha! Good luck with that. That’s where the $$$ is at and the $$$ controls the politics.

Tag money goes to the state. The rest lines the pocket of the outfitter. There are fewer hunters that use outfitters than not. NM makes sure that 10% of the hunters do (idiotic policy to say the least).

What's the difference between using a "biological" camera vs. an electronic?

 

[CorbLand]

What's the difference between using a "biological" camera vs. an electronic?

By this I am assuming you are asking what's the difference between glassing for animals and putting a camera up?

If so, one person can only glass one area at a time. I cant be on both ends of a unit at the same time but with cameras I can. I cant glass through trees and other barriers that block my view but I can put cameras in every patch of trees. I have to worry about wind, noise, staying hidden (to an extent) when glassing, not so much with cameras. I can get two months worth of data on an animal and have set foot on the mountain twice. Once to put cameras up and once to check cards.

 

[wind gypsy]

I've become a bit of a trailcam junkie for whitetails the last couple years. They provide a lot of intel and they have probably caused us to bugger up a handful of deer that wouldn't have been if it weren't for camera intrusion. Trailcams and habitat have become something i'm more interested in than actually hunting in the midwest as of late. All in all, i think a ban would have some positive impacts on midwest whitetail hunting but I bet more deer would be getting shot because people don't know about the bigger bucks in an area. I think it makes a lot of sense in states like UT and AZ.

 

[CorbLand]

FWIW, we haven't had any pictures of almost all of the biggest deer we've ever shot. Of the ones we have had pictures of, the I would only say the pictures helped us on a couple of them..and we probably would've gotten them anyway because we got them in spots we know to be good.

I see this argument made a lot. "I have never killed an animal I have pictures of so cameras dont do anything." The part people are missing is that its also what cameras dont take pictures of that helps too. I hiked into a spot this year, it had cover, water, feed, benches, everything one would think an elk would look for. I put two cameras in there and came back 6 weeks later and had zero pictures of elk. Guess where I didn't go back to during elk season? If I would have found that spot during elk season, I would have hunted for a day or two before realizing there were no elk. The information they don't tell you is just as valuable and effective as what they do tell you.

 

[KoolBreeze]

Ok so I misread the poll. The thread title talks about them being outlawed while poll asks should they be legal. So it’s even more surprising to me now. Anyway, mark me down as pro-camera, private or public land.